Deformable mirror devices are active semiconductor devices having on them at least one row of small deflectable mirrors. The mirrors individually reflect incident light along one of two pathways. Electronic signals determine along which of the two pathways each mirror reflects light. Deformable mirror devices may also be manufactured with several individual rows of mirrors or with many rows of tightly spaced mirrors. The latter format, because of its mirror density, is capable of producing images comparable in resolution to monochrome cathode-ray tubes.
The introduction of color to deformable mirror device systems has been problematic to date. One approach to full color deformable mirror device systems is to use three deformable mirror devices, each with a different primary color source or color filter. The three monochrome deformable mirror device images are combined into a single image to produce the desired three color picture. This system has the disadvantages of complex chip alignment, output convergence, and excessive cost and package size of the related optic system.
The preferred approach to color light modulation, therefore, is to use a single deformable mirror device chip modified to produce the desired color image. Simply aligning a matrix of colored windows above the matrix of individual mirrors, however, is not satisfactory. The unmodulated light striking the deformable mirror device is supplied externally to the individual mirrors and off of the final viewing optical axis. Incident light therefore passes through the filter window structure twice before being observed by the human eye. The modulated light therefore passes through two different colored window elements. The requisite geometry is prohibitively complex.
Therefore a need has risen for a single chip deformable mirror device color system which is non-stressing to the mirror elements, provides precise and accurate placement of the dye material on the mirror elements, and whose dyes have acceptable optical and mechanical properties.